‘Vacation’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Visit: Bird Kingdom {Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada}

July 20, 2017 · Narrative

A sweet little place to stop when you’re visiting Niagara Falls in Canada … let’s pop into Bird Kingdom.

Any time we’re traveling, I always keep my eyes open for places where we can visit animals. Whether it be a zoo, aquarium, sanctuary, or something completely different, it’s something both my kids like (especially the nine-year-old who is still aspiring to be a vet when she grows up!), so when I spotted references to the Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls, I added it to our Spring Break list.

Bird Kingdom was located just a few miles from where we were staying, slightly on the outskirts of the major touristy area, and boasts the world’s largest free-flying indoor aviary. It was easy to find, and they have their own parking garage (albeit small), and will validate. The fact that it was a covered and attached parking garage was a bonus because it was pouring when we visited.

We checked in at the front desk, got our hands stamped, and started our self-guided tour. As much as I love the information a tour guide can impart, I equally love the go-at-your-own-pace of a self-guided tour, especially since we were a group of 8.

The name “Bird Kingdom” is a bit of a misnomer because while the majority of the animals ARE birds, there are other animals there as well (including turtles, bearded dragons, pythons, and more). We toured all the different areas, reading information on the different species as we went, but there were two areas that I was most looking forward to … one spot was where we could hold a parrot, and another was when we could enter a large enclosure, and feed birds as they swarmed around you and landed on you. I love these types of activities because it’s what sets this place apart from other places, and it’s something completely different for the kids.

Because, really … how often do you get to hold a small cup of sugar water and have birds swarm all over you??? I swear it was like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, but in a completely fun and OMG way. And totally worth the extra $2 per person charge (you can go in the room for free; the extra $2 was if you want to hold the sugar water and feed the birds). Maddie was a little reticent to do it at first (I don’t blame her!), but usually after I say I’ll do something, she’ll do it … because I’m the biggest scaredy cat of them all! (And it’s totally why I was the one petting the tarantula when we visited this place, and this past week, I was the first to pet a chinchilla because YOLO!).

Outside of these two special and different experiences, Bird Kingdom reminded me a little of RainForest Adventures, a similar place we visited when we were in Tennessee a few years ago. Similar set up and vibe, but different animals.

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Visit: Desert of Maine {Freeport, Maine}

March 9, 2017 · Narrative

A forty acre desert in the middle of a pine forest in Maine? Yep, it actually exists. Let’s check it out.

Last year, my kids and I trekked up to Maine to visit Sarah and her kids. Although she moved to Maine a few years ago, we try and make an effort to see each other, and are actually fairly successful with 2-3 visits a year in various states. Because, have car, will travel.

My daughter, Madeline, had Maine in her sights and desperately wanted to visit, so it was the perfect opportunity to combine it with a social call on Sarah and her crew. Despite my sister going to college and getting married in Maine (and her and her family, and our parents making several annual visits to Maine), Maddie has never been. A wrong that surely must be righted.

And despite all my own visits to Maine while my sister was in college, I had actually never heard of the Desert of Maine, which is surprising because it’s actually a pretty popular attraction.

In the late 1700’s, the Tuttle family lived on a 300 acre farm. They were quite the farming family, and produced potatoes and hay for many years. Unfortunately they neglected to rotate crops, and with so much acreage, massive soil erosion became a problem, and ultimately exposed this hidden desert underneath. They tired, without success, to control the land and bring their farm back to its glory, but the spreading sand was out of control, and the Tuttle family eventually surrendered to nature … and the overwhelming amount of sand … and let the desert take over the property. One of their original buildings, the barn, still sits on the property to this day, and, over the years, the Desert of Maine has become a popular tourist attraction.

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Visit: Portland Head Light & Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

October 17, 2016 · Narrative

A gorgeous park, water view, and lighthouse … let’s visit Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

When we were talking about things we wanted to do over the summer, one of the places that my daughter, Madeline, wanted to visit was Maine. I don’t think she knew much more about it other than it’s a place her grandparents and aunt and uncle visit often, but she’s never been, and we have friends there, so a plan for a little getaway quickly came together.

Since my fellow blogger and friend, Sarah, has lived in Maine for two years now, she put together a short list of fun things we could do together during our visit, and as soon as I saw a lighthouse on the list, that was a no brainer. Because Madeline loves lighthouses.

Fort Williams is a former US Army fort that was operational for nearly 100 years, ending in 1964. This is a great resource if you want more background on its military usage. Once it officially closed, it was reestablished as Fort Williams Park and, true to form with most lighthouse properties, the area is gorgeous.

Like, I could sit there all day and take pictures and just listen to the crashing waves against the wall.

And that’s exactly how we spent a few hours there.

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Visit: Ripley’s Believe It or Not! {Gatlinburg, Tennessee}

August 11, 2014 · Narrative

The creepy, spooky, and downright icky can be found right in downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum.

Nick, my twelve year old, is a big fan of the weird and the wonderful, so when I found out that there was a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! location in Tennessee, it quickly got added to our “things to do” list for this year’s Spring Break.

Natch.

Located right on Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg, it couldn’t have been easier to find. On street parking is available, as well as many hourly lots tucked down various side streets. Since this is the main drag through Gatlinburg, it is a hotbed of activity. If you park in one of the lots, you will more than get your five bucks worth. Guaranteed.

This Ripley’s museum has three floors filled with exhibits, over 500 of them, in every nook and cranny. Some of the exhibits we have seen in the other locations, and many were new. The very tattooed lady with multiple piercings (and the man who is tattooed from head to foot) has been at many of the other locations we’ve visited, as well as the art pieces made entirely of matchsticks. There were a number of old-school exhibits as well, including a giant Lite-Brite set and a game of Operation.

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Visit: Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies {Gatlinburg, Tennessee}

May 21, 2014 · Narrative

It’s a given that probably 75% of our outings involve animals. Or Ripley’s. And our Spring Break in Tennessee is no exception.

It actually involved a lot of both.

And that 75% is purely an unscientific guess.

When I was researching things we could do in Tennessee and saw that there was an aquarium in the general vicinity of our second hotel, it was pretty much a given that we would stop there.

On our second night in Tennessee, we made the three hour drive from Nashville to Gatlinburg, checked in at the hotel and took off for the aquarium right away.

It might not take the average person three hours to drive that distance, but that’s the beauty of road trips, isn’t it? You can stop along the way whenever you want.

The Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is located right off the main drag in downtown Gatlinburg and was really easy to find. A tall parking deck adjacent to the aquarium made it easy to find a space, and it’s only a few dollars (cash only) for parking.

We arrived a few hours before the place closed, which I highly recommend, because I wouldn’t necessarily say we had the place to ourselves, but we almost had the place to ourselves.

Which was all sorts of awesome. It gave us the freedom to wander from exhibit to exhibit and not have to worry about fighting any crowds when it came to a show or an opportunity to touch slimy creatures.

The place is huge, boasting some 10,000 sea creatures amongst their space. Some items are usual suspects amongst aquariums, some were new to us. (They have a great virtual tour right here)

There is peaceful, calming music piped throughout the aquarium, which was really a nice touch, and there were knowledgeable staff members ready to answer any questions we had as we explored at our own pace.

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Visit: Liberty Bell {Philadelphia, PA}

October 27, 2012 · Narrative

So when I found out that the Philadelphia Zoo was only 12 miles from where we were staying on Nick’s belated birthday celebration weekend, it was a given that we would visit it.

I mean, seriously. My kids + animals = no brainer.

And when we were renting a stroller at the zoo because we seriously had to walk like a mile just to get to the entrance, I asked the friendly stroller rental girl how far exactly the Liberty Bell was from the zoo.

“Less than 15 minutes.”

So it stands to reason that we couldn’t NOT visit the Liberty Bell.

And I could have totally taken this line of rationale until we ended up somewhere in the middle of the country looking for other national treasures. But four kids, busy weekend, I didn’t want to overdo it, you know?

I mean, a girl’s gotta know her limits.

Which means another trip to Philadelphia is definitely in the offing because there’s still so much to see and do.

But the Liberty Bell? I don’t know, for some reason I was fixated on it.

I’m 42 years old. And, doing some rough math, we’ve lived under two hours from the Liberty Bell for about 30 years of my life.

And I’ve never seen it.

And little facts like those are how my future bucket lists with the kids (oh you should see the things we want to do together!) get made.

Because while I have been to Brussels, and Crete, and Scotland, and Paris. I haven’t seen the Grand Canyon. Niagara Falls. And a million other places in the good US of A.

Growing up, with my Dad’s old job, there was a lot of international travel, not so much domestic.

So there is a lot of ground to cover.

Like literally.

So the bell.

When we left the zoo, it was after 3 pm on Sunday. I seriously debated. Go find the bell or just go home. Should we? Shouldn’t we?

We went for it. I told the kids, who really wanted to go see it, that we would see if we could find it, how busy it was, and the parking situation. We would give it a go.

Using the GPS, I found the area and went up and down the streets. Partially because the Google’d address wasn’t specific. I could tell the general area of where the bell was supposed to be, but couldn’t tell specifically. As in there it is and here’s where I should park.

And part of the problem? Because for some wild reason, in my mind’s eye, I pictured the bell being at the top of some grassy plain, open and out. I know, weird.

Because it’s clearly not.

Which is why I was having trouble figuring out where exactly the darn thing was.

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